The Art of Communication: - Derry City Council

7.2 LeadershipA real need exists for district council Environmental Health departments to provideleadership on the issues identified by this research. Leadership should not exist at theexpense of partnership, as meaningful collaboration is required with a number of other keybodies. Therefore, to help facilitate Environmental Health leadership on these issues thefollowing recommendations are made.1. It is recommended that the Chief Environmental Health Officer of the WesternGroup Environmental Health Service, facilitate the creation of a multi-agencyworking group (the working group) within the western region, to act on thefindings of this research. This group must be constituted and mandated to take thefindings of this research forward.2. This working group should contain representation from: each of the fiveEnvironmental Health departments who participated in this study, Chineseemployers who operate within the west, Sai Pak, Community Relations andEquality. The constitution and remit of the working group should be formalisedand clearly outlined in an agreed ‘Terms of Reference’ and discussions, decisionsand actions should be minuted.3. The working group should be remitted effectively to examine each of therecommendations made by this investigation. The working group should producean agreed ‘work plan’ which identifies the resources required, key output andoutcome targets and how progress will be reviewed.4. A key objective for the working group must be to produce practical initiativesfor Environmental Health departments that address the issues uncovered by thisinvestigation. Such practical initiatives should be formally proposed to districtcouncil Environmental Health departments for their considered implementationbased on an appropriate cost/benefit analysis.5. The core principles for effective communication with ethnic minorities, asproposed by Sills and Desai (1996), have been endorsed by the majority ofChinese employers and EHOs who took part in this research. Therefore, this‘seven stage process’ should act as fundamental guiding principles to the workinggroup. Moreover, the group should develop practical applications that can helpEnvironmental Health departments effectively deliver each of the ‘seven stages’.38The Art of Communication: A landscape shared between regulator and ethnic employer